Don's Family Moments
by Turtleena
Summary: Don deals with some family matters such as his daughter Tori getting her first bandanna, and Eve's sickness.
1. Tori's Bandanna

This is a sort-of dry run, pre-TMNT fanfic short story. I was originally going to wait and use this scene in the actual fan fiction series I will be working on, but decided to go ahead and write the story out and post it while it is still fresh in my mind. This scene came into my mind at work the other day and has been occupying my mind ever since. This scene comes into play a long way from where it's original story will start. I want to thank Nala162024 for encouraging me to start writing fan fiction, and for her replies to my requests for her input in regards to Don's nickname for Tori.

Obviously I don't own the TMNT.

Eve, Yoshi, and Tori, are all my original OC's.

Now without further ado...here's "Tori's Bandanna"...

...

It was just about time to put Yoshi and Tori to bed for the night when Don realized he hadn't seen Tori anywhere within the last hour or so. This caused him to worry, and he began searching through the various rooms of the house for his little girl. Finally, to Don's relief as he reached the living room, he caught sight of his 5 year old daughter. She was sitting on the floor in the far corner of the room, and all but facing the wall. Don knew right away that something was wrong.

"Hey Sweetie," Don said as he went over and knelt beside her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied solemnly.

"Come on Wildflower," Don said gently, "Daddy won't be able to get any sleep tonight if you don't tell Daddy what's bothering you."

Tori just sat there quietly for a brief moment. Then, deciding she didn't want to be the reason for her daddy loosing any sleep, she slowly looked up at him and held out her left hand. As Don looked at her hand, he noticed that in it she held a lavender colored ribbon. A ribbon that had in fact had become a customary part of Tori's attire when she was 2 years old. It was so rare to see Tori without that ribbon tied in her hair that until that moment, Don hadn't even notice she wasn't wearing it. Don took the ribbon and looked it over. It wasn't torn. In fact, it appeared to be just fine. He couldn't make any connection between the ribbon and why his little girl would be so sad.

Puzzled, Don asked, "What's wrong with your ribbon?"

Tori didn't answer him. She just lowered her gaze back down to the floor.

"Tori?" he prodded gently trying to get her to answer his question. Again there was a lapse of silence. During that time of silence, Don thought about how much Tori resembled her mother. She shared a lot of the same physical characteristics as her mother, right down to her golden brown hair. However, from the looks on Tori's face as she tried to avoid his gaze, her facial expressions were mostly the same as his.

Then finally, though hesitantly she said, "Yoshi say ninjas not wear ribbins." Don couldn't help but half smile at her pronunciation of _ribbons_. Tori was obviously picking up her mother's slightly different dialect and using it in some of her own speech. _Dutchified_ Eve would call it. Realizing his mind was getting off track, he quickly refocused his thoughts on Tori's response. For a moment, Don still couldn't make the connection of what the ribbon had to do with Tori's downhearted mood. Then suddenly it hit him. Earlier in the day Yoshi—Tori's twin brother—had been given his first bandanna. Don had never really given much thought to giving Tori a bandanna of her own. It is not that Tori didn't deserve one, but he just never really saw his little girl as the mask wearing type of kid.

"Well," he began, unsure of what to say, "It's true that none of the ninjas in our family wear ribbons, but none of them are little girls like you either." Again Tori's gaze returned to the floor. "Is that why you took the ribbon out of your hair, because Yoshi told you that ninjas don't wear ribbons?" Don asked hoping he had figured out what was bothering Tori. She nodded her head. Don had his answer, but he wasn't sure where to go from there. He sighed and said, "Tell you what Sweetheart, I'll talk to mommy about getting you a bandanna of your own. Would you like that?" Tori's face lit up slightly as she quickly nodded. "Okay, but in the mean time, what do you say we put this ribbon back in your hair?" Again Tori nodded, smiling brightly for the first time since this conversation began. Don did his best to tie the ribbon in a bow the way he usually saw it in Tori's hair, Eve usually tied the ribbons. It didn't look quite right when he finished tying the bow, but it was the best he could do. "Come on Sweetie," Don said as he picked her up, "mommy is going to wonder where we are if we don't get you to bed soon."

Don was just starting to head for Tori's room when Eve entered the doorway of the living room. "There you two are. " Eve said slightly exasperated, "Yoshi is already fast asleep in his bed, and I was starting to think you two had wandered off somewhere."

"Not a chance." Don said with a smile as he looked down at Tori. "We just had a little matter to sort out that's all."

"Oh." Eve said realizing that there must have been something wrong. "Is everything alright then?"

"We'll talk about it later." Don said signaling to Eve that he wanted to talk about it after the twins were both asleep. "Right now I think someone is ready for her bedtime song."

Eve smiled. "Of course, it is time for this little one to drift off to dreamland isn't it?"

Don just smiled in response as he looked at Tori. Tori's head was already resting against his shoulder. She seemed to be drifting off to sleep fast after their little conversation only moments ago. When they reached Tori's room, Don kissed her on the forehead, and gently placed her down on the bed. Eve then began to tuck her in as she softly sang the lullaby that had become a nightly tradition in the twins' bedtime routine. As the song came to an end, Eve reached up to gently remove the ribbon from Tori's hair. Just before her hand reached the ribbon, Don touched her shoulder, and silently signaled her to let it be. Puzzled, Eve let him take her by the hand and lead her out of Tori's room, quietly turning out the light and closing the door behind them. He then led her to their room. Once there she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Okay Don, what's going on?"

He sat down beside her. "Well, Tori is upset because Yoshi told her that ninjas don't where ribbons."

"And?" she prodded, though was sure she already knew where this was leading.

"And I told her we'd talk about giving her a bandanna of her own." he stated.

Eve chuckled.

Not seeing how this could possibly be humorous he asked, "And how is this funny?"

Eve stood up and walked over to the closet where she pulled out her small sewing basket. She then walked back to the bed and handed it to Don. "Look inside."

With a questioning look on his face he opened up the basket. When he saw what was in it, he looked up at Eve completely stunned. Then looking back in the basket, he pulled out a small lavender bandanna covered in butterfly print and asked, "How did you know Tori would want a bandanna?"

"I didn't know for sure. I made it just in case." she replied as she sat back down on the bed. "Actually, when you said to me about making Yoshi's bandanna, I was surprised that you didn't ask me make one for Tori, too."

"I just never saw it coming." Don stated still stunned.

Eve smiled, "That's because you see her as your darling baby girl who should be gussied up in ribbons and other frills—not ninja masks. But you forget that our little Tori is also very much a tom-boy. So, she's going to want to wear masks and do other things just like Yoshi will do. More than likely this is just a phase she needs to go through."

"I suppose." Don stated absently, not convinced that this was going to be 'just a phase.'

Eve leaned in towards him and kissed him on the cheek. "You'll see…by this time next week she'll probably be back to just wearing ribbins in her hair." Don half smiled. "Besides," Eve continued, "even if it's not just a phase, she'll still be wearing a ribbin."

Confused, Don asked, "What do you mean?"

"You mean you didn't see it?" Eve asked surprised that Don hadn't noticed. "It's there on her mask just as plain as day."

Don looked back at the mask. Sewn into the mask was a lavender ribbon that was tied into a bow at the top just where it would be if Tori wore her ribbon as a headband. He chuckled. "I guess you've thought of everything."

"Pretty much…this time at least." Eve said with a grin.

Don put his arms around her and pulled her close. "I guess that's part of why I love you so much." Then he kissed her.

"Come on, Don." Eve said smiling as she stood, and then took Don's hand to pull him to his feet. "Let's check on the twins one more time and then head for the rooftops. It's a beautiful clear night, and _you_ owe me a romantic evening of star gazing."

Don simply grinned.

…

The next morning, Eve got the twins up and ready for the day so that they could have a bit of play time while she made breakfast in the kitchen. When she had finished with Yoshi and Tor's breakfast she called them to the table. Yoshi got there first. He climbed up into his chair and started to eat. Tori entered the room not long after. She was headed for her chair when she looked up at Yoshi and noticed that he was wearing his bandanna. She stopped dead in her tracks, and stared at him. Her eyes completely focused on his blue colored bandanna with orange flame print.

Looking over her shoulder as she continued to work on making breakfast for Don and herself, Eve noticed that Tori had yet to finish making her way to the table. "Tori honey, you need to hurry up and eat your breakfast. Your uncle Leo will be here any minute to take you and Yoshi to the dojo for your ninjitsu lesson." Tori didn't move her focus still on Yoshi's bandanna. "Tori?" Eve prodded, this time turning all the way around to watch her daughter. Still Tori didn't move or even acknowledge that she heard her mother. She was so focused on Yoshi's bandanna that she never even heard someone come up behind her, and she jumped when she felt someone's hand touch the top of her head.

When she looked up her father was standing there smiling at her. "Better do as mommy says Wildflower."

"Yes, Daddy." She replied before scurrying to her chair to do as she was told.

Don helped Tori into her chair and kissed her on the cheek. As he made his way toward where Eve was working on breakfast, he gently ruffled his son's bandanna, which caused Yoshi to giggle.

They were all just about finished eating breakfast when Leo arrived to take the twins for their daily ninjitsu lesson. Yoshi dashed to his uncle, excited to show Leo his bandanna. Tori slid down off her chair, and solemnly started making her way towards Leo.

She had only taken about five steps when her mother called to her. "Tori honey, come here a minute…we need to fix your bow." She glanced at Don, which was his cue to get the box that was currently on the kitchen counter. Tori walked back to her mother. Eve had just taken the ribbon out of Tori's hair when Don made it back to her side with the box. "You know, Tori…I don't think this ribbin is quite right for wearing during ninjitsu lessons." Eve said with small smile.

Tori gave her parents a look of near devastation. Then Don knelt down beside her, "Mommy's right Wildflower, this will be much better for you to wear during your ninjitsu lessons." He opened the box and took out the bandanna. Tori's face lit up as she squealed with delight at seeing her mask. Don then took the bandanna and put it on Tori. "There…a perfect fit." Don said as he finished tying the knot at the back of her mask.

"Thank you Daddy!" Tori said excitedly as she hugged her father.

"You're welcome Wildflower." Don said returning the hug. "Don't forget to thank mommy, too."

"Thank you Mommy." Tori said as she moved to her mother to hug her as well.

"You're welcome Sweetheart." Eve replied with a smile as she hugged her daughter.

"Okay Wildflower," Don said smiling. "It's time to get a move on…uncle Leo won't wait for much longer."

Tori grinned at her parents before scurrying off to where Leo and Yoshi were. Leo waved to Don and Eve before leading the twins to the dojo for their lesson.

"You know Don," Eve said with a chuckle. "It's a good thing the twins are to young to spar with each other."

"Why do you say that?" Don asked.

Eve smiled. "Because when those two are older, and Yoshi says something to Tori that upsets her…she'll probably use the sparring matches in their training as an opportunity to wax his little shell faster than Mikey can scarf down a pizza…just to make her point."

Don laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right." he said, pulling Eve close. "You're probably right."


	2. More than Homesick

Weeks passed, and somewhat to Don's relief, Eve had been right about Tori's need to wear a bandanna being just a phase. She still wore her bandanna of course, but mainly just during ninjitsu lessons. However, during this time, Don began to notice some changes in Eve's behavior. Nothing extreme, but the changes he was starting to notice in her were enough to make him concerned. The past few days especially, she spent more time alone in the music room than usual. A lot more time than usual. At first, Don didn't think much of it. Eve always spent a lot of extra time in the music room when sudden inspiration would strike her, and she would rarely come out of said room until the artistic inspiration had run its course. But then came the day that Don started to realize that it wasn't sudden inspiration that had recently caused her to hold up in the music room for hours on end.

It was early afternoon, and Don was playing with the twins in the main room. The game was hide-and-seek, and Don was currently counting to 20 while the twins hid. Yoshi was heading to the far corner of the room, planning to hide behind the couch. Meanwhile, Tori was headed in the opposite direction in search of a good hiding place. As she neared the hallway leading to the music room, she could hear the slightest sound of music. It was the familiar sound of her mother singing and playing the guitar. Forgetting all about the game of hide-and-seek, Tori made her way to music room. She opened the door, and found her mother sitting in a chair on the far side of the room. Tori walked over to her mother, who was still singing and hadn't yet noticed that Tori was there, and sat down on the floor in front of her. Eve had her eyes closed. As she finished the song with the strum of the final chord, she opened her eyes to see Tori sitting in front of her.

"Hey sweetie, what are you doing in here?" Eve asked with a small smile.

"Want to sing, too."

Eve chuckled slightly, "Sure sweetie. What should we sing?"

"Wildflower song!" Tori said in excitement.

Eve should have known. The 'Wildflower' song was almost always the song Tori requested because it was one of her favorites. Eve figured that had something to do with the fact that Don gave Tori the nickname 'Wildflower.' Even though Eve also considered one of her favorites, it was a song she had been trying to avoid playing for the last few days. In her current state, she was nearly certain it would cause her to break down into tears, but maybe—just maybe—if she focused on Tori while singing it, she could maintain her composure.

"Okay, Tori. You remember the words I taught you, right?" Eve asked as she prepared to play the song. Tori nodded. "Alright, here we go." Eve said as she started to play the intro of the song.

…..

Several minutes had gone by since Don had found Yoshi in his hiding place, and he could not figure out where Tori was hiding. He searched the main room a dozen times over and hadn't found her, which meant she must have chosen a spot in another room. But where? Don picked up Yoshi, determined to make sure his son didn't wander off while he searched for Tori. Don paused near the hallway leading to the music room, thinking of where the next place to look should be. Suddenly, Yoshi started squirming in his arms.

"Down, Daddy!" Yoshi said as he continued to squirm. Don complied, and Yoshi scurried off towards the music room. Don quickly followed. As Don made his way back the hall after Yoshi, he noticed that not only could Eve's voice be heard coming from the room, but Tori's could, too. Relief washed over him as he reached the door just after Yoshi entered the room. Don hung back at the door, staying out of sight and smiling as he watched the scene in front of him. Eve was singing, and Tori would join in during the chorus—which was the part of the song Tori knew best since Eve taught her the words. Yoshi had joined Tori in front of their mother, and was trying his best to join in the song, too. Eve had smiled slightly as she continued to sing and play her guitar, when Yoshi appeared in front of her and sat next to Tori.

"Oh yes and I…long…to walk on the mountain once more

Where as a child I'd explore

But mostly I…long…to walk in the meadow

Where all the wildflowers grow…"

Eve closed her eyes as she started to hum the melody line towards the last part of the song, which wasn't altogether unusual when Eve let herself become totally wrapped up in the emotion of a song, but Yoshi seemed to have picked up on something because walked up to Eve and touched her knee. As he did Eve looked up once more, and smiled sadly at Yoshi as she prepared to sing the end of the song.

"Upon the mountain back home

Out in the meadow

Where all the wildflowers grow

Yes, up where the wildflowers…grow"

As the last chord faded, Don saw a tear escape Eve's eye, but she quickly wiped it away. It was then that Don realized she was working hard to keep up appearances, though why she was doing so he wasn't sure of.

"You okay, Momma?" Yoshi asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah, sweetheart I'm fine." Eve said, giving the best smile she could manage at the moment. "But I think that's enough singing for now. Why don't you two go play in the living room for a while, okay?"

"Aww." The twins lamented.

"But want to stay with you." Tori added.

Eve sighed, "Alright, tell you what, you two go to the living room and I'll be out in a few minutes to read a book to you. How does that sound?"

"Okay." The twins replied solemnly before making their way out of the room.

Don smiled at the twins as they walked past him and made their way to the main room. Then he turned his attention back on the remaining person in the music room. Eve's demeanor had totally changed from what it had been only moments ago. She had set her guitar down beside her on the floor; she was leaning forward, and had buried her face in her hands. Don even thought he heard a few quiet sobs escape from her. He silently entered the room, and made his way towards Eve. He was only a few feet from her when she started to try to pull herself together.

"Eve…honey, are you alright?" Don asked as he grabbed a nearby chair, set it down in front of her, and took a seat.

"Yeah, fine." Eve said as upbeat as she could while hurriedly trying to wipe away the tears in her eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Well for one thing you've been hold up in this room for most of the past few days."

"Don, you know that's not that unusual."

"You've hardly been talking lately."

"I guess I just haven't felt chatty."

"Just a moment ago you were crying."

"So, I got a little over emotional from the song, it's no big deal."

"Then why are you currently trying to avoid eye contact with me?"

Up to this point, she had been looking down and off to the side, but when Don asked that question she looked at him for a long moment. Then, turning her head back to the side she said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just fine. Nothing's wrong."

"Come on, Eve, you know I know you better than that. Something must be wrong or you wouldn't be acting like this." Don sighed, "Hon, I'm worried about you." Then with his right hand, he took a hold of her left hand. With his left hand he cupped the right side of her face, and gently turned her head so she had to look at him. Softly, he said, "Come on, Eve. Please, talk to me."

Eve hated to admit it, but Don had her pegged. But she just didn't want to talk about what was bothering her. 'All I need is a few more days of alone time to get me feeling like my old self again,' she thought to herself. 'Huh, yeah, right, who am I kidding? I've been telling myself that for over a week now. I know Don will understand—he always does—but I just can't talk to him about this. Not now. Not yet.'

"Don…I…no. No, there's nothing to talk about." Eve said as she picked up her guitar with her free hand, and stood to remove herself from Don's grasp. She walked over to her guitar stand to put her guitar in its designated spot.

Don couldn't believe this. Eve never resisted talking to him about what was troubling her like this before. He just couldn't understand what was going on with her. "Eve, honey," Don started as he got up to follow her, "if that were true, you wouldn't have hesitated in your response, and you wouldn't be trying to avoid me."

"Don, I'm not trying to avoid you, I just-" Eve cut herself off as her eye caught sight of the picture sitting on the mantle above her guitar stand. It was a picture of one of her favorite spots back home. Her old home in the mountain ridges of Pennsylvania. "Need…some time alone." She trailed off quietly as she reached out to touch the picture in front of her, and closed her eyes tight.

Don was now standing beside her, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Gently he said, "You've spent far too much time alone already this week." She opened her eyes, and just stared at the picture in front of her. Don followed her gaze. 'So, that's it is it?' he thought to himself, 'She's homesick. Wait a minute, there's got to be more to it than that. She's been homesick before, but she's never acted like this any of the other times. Well, maybe I should just go with it for now until she's ready to open up about what's really bothering her.'

"You really miss that place don't you?"

"Yeah," Eve said quietly, still looking at the picture, "some times more than others…I guess this is one of the times when I really miss it a lot though."

"Mmm…so…what else is bothering you?"

Eve sighed. "Don, please, just drop it for now. Okay?"

"Eve, I really think it would help you if we talk-"

"Don, just drop it!" Eve shouted as she pulled away from Don. "There's no need to talk because I'm just fine!" She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to the living room. I promised the twins I'd read them a book." And with that, she left the room. Don didn't press the matter any further for the rest of the day, and Eve basically avoided him as much as possible. Shortly after they got the twins to bed for the night, Eve herself went to bed. Don knew it was highly unusual, as it was still early in the evening, but decided to give Eve some space and headed to his lab to work on some things for a couple hours. With any luck, she'd be asleep by the time he got to bed.

…..

A couple hours in the lab turned into several hours, and by the time Don finally made his way to bed he was beat. He paused at the bedroom door to see if there was any light showing under the doorway. Nothing. 'Good, she must be asleep.' He thought to himself. Quietly, he opened the door, made his way to the bed, and carefully climbed in.

Eve, who was still awake, had been lying there in the dark for hours with nothing but the glow of the clock on the nightstand lighting the room. Even though Don had been nearly silent when he entered the room, she still heard him. She was glad that Don was trying to give her some space after her little outburst that afternoon, but she was still disappointed that he didn't slide over next to her and wrap his arm around her as he usually did when he climbed into bed. She was caught in a loop of depression, and she was trying hard to pull herself out of it; but right now what she really needed was the comfort of Don's arms. She was tired of avoiding him, and she knew now that she would have to make the first move if she was going to get any comfort from him tonight. She sighed silently to herself.

"Don?"

"Mmm?" he responded tiredly.

"I'm sorry about today. I shouldn't have shouted at you, or avoided you…I know you're just trying to help."

Don turned to look at her. The glow from the clock was just enough light for him to make out her silhouette. She was still lying on her side with her back to him, but at least she was talking to him. "You don't need to apologize."

"Yes, I do. I know the way I've been acting lately has been hard on you. I know you're worried about me, and that you want me to talk to you about…what's bothering me. But I'm just not ready to open up to you about it yet."

Don moved over beside her, and put a hand on her arm. He whispered, "Hey, it's okay. I understand, and I'm sorry for pressing you about it earlier today. Just promise me that you're going to be okay."

Eve twisted around enough so that she could see Don's face. "I promise."

"And when you're ready to talk about-"

"I'll come straight to you." She hesitated, "But…for now…would you just…hold me?"

Don gave her a small smile, "Of course…come here." Eve turned over so she was facing Don, and moved closer to him. Don enveloped her in his arms, and gently kissed her forehead. Within minutes, Eve was asleep. Don sighed tiredly. 'She may not be ready to talk to me about it yet, but at least this is a start.' was the last thought that crossed his mind before he drifted off to sleep.

…..

Don thought that the brief conversation he and Eve had last night would have improved Eve's mood at least a little, but it seemed that she was just as miserable as ever. Don had an idea that he thought would help lift her spirits, but before he could put that plan in motion, there was someone he had to talk to.

"Hey bro, what's up?" Mikey greeted.

"Hey, Mikey, I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure dude."

"I need you to watch the twins tonight while I take Eve topside. Will you?"

"Well, sure bro, I'll watch 'em, but aren't you two supposed to go topside like three nights from now…you know, like you two do every week?" Mikey asked with a questioning look.

"Yeah, well, about that…there's been some…issues lately, and I think it would be best if I get Eve topside tonight if at all possible."

"Issues? Like serious trouble kind of issues?"

"No, Mikey, it's nothing serious. At least, not yet anyway."

"Okay, bro, if you say so." Mikey said, though he didn't quite believe Don about it not being serious.

"So, you'll watch the twins then?"

"Yeah, dude, I'll watch 'em. Same time as usual?"

"Yeah, thanks Mikey, I owe you one."

…..

It was just about dusk, and Eve was sitting on the couch in the main room, reading to the twins, when Don came in wearing street clothes and holding Eve's long coat in his hand.

"Don, what's going on, why are you dressed in street clothes?" Eve asked with a confused look on her face.

"We're going out tonight."

"What do you mean?" Eve asked still not sure of what was going on.

"I mean you and I are going topside for the evening."

"We go, too?" Yoshi asked hopefully. It was rare that he and Tori got to join their parents in going topside for an evening.

"Nope." A new voice interjected. "'Fraid you two squirts are stuck with me tonight."

"Unca Mikey!" The twins shouted happily as they hopped down off the couch and ran to greet their uncle.

"Hey squirts. So, you two up for playing some games?" Mikey asked the twins with a grin.

"Yay!" The twins cheered.

As Mikey continued to chat with his niece and nephew, Don walked closer to where Eve was still sitting. Eve looked up at Don, then to her coat, and back to Don again. Finally, she sighed, closed the book that was on her lap, and laid it on the couch next to where she was sitting. She got up, and Don helped her with her coat. She turned around and looked at him, signaling that she was ready to go. Don gave Eve a small smile, and then put an arm around her waist.

"Okay, Mikey, we're heading out now." Don said as he guided Eve to the door leading to the sewer tunnels.

"Later…have a good time."

"You kids be good for Uncle Mikey while we're gone, okay?" Don said to the twins.

"Okay." The twins responded.

Mikey watched as Don and Eve left, then he turned back to the twins. "Okay, so what should we do first?"

…..

Don and Eve silently walked the short distance from their home through the tunnels to a manhole in Central Park. Don climbed up the ladder first to remove the manhole cover, and then helped Eve as she reached the top. Eve looked around at their surroundings as Don replaced the manhole cover. She wasn't sure she was up to this, but Don had gone through the trouble of getting Mikey to babysit the twins. And with the way she had been acting lately, the least she could do for Don was go on this outing. Besides, it kind of felt good to be out of the lair for a change.

"Okay, let's go." Don said smiling as he wrapped his arm around her. Eve tried to return the smile, but couldn't seem to manage anything more than the hint of a smile as they started walking. About a half hour later, they reached their favorite place in the park. It was the only part of the park that gave the Eve the feeling of being in the woods like the ones she explored back home, and also had a spot that gave a great view for stargazing. Don had sensed that Eve was starting to feel more at ease as they reached their special place. He hung back and watched Eve as she moved from his side and walked around for a moment. She placed her hand on a nearby tree, and continued to take in their surroundings for a moment. Then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, she was smiling. It was the first real smile Don had seen on her face in days. He also noticed that the sparkle of happiness had returned to her eyes as well. Don decided to make his way to the lookout spot, while Eve reveled in the moment. After he reached the big bolder they where they often sat to stargaze, he continued to watch her. A few minutes later, Eve joined Don. Eve stepped out towards the edge of their lookout, and looked up at the night sky. Stars just filled the sky. The sight was absolutely breathtaking.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Don asked.

"Yes, it's absolutely gorgeous." Eve responded as she continued to look up at the sky for a moment. Then, she turned to look at Don. She was beaming. "I guess I should thank you for dragging me out here tonight." She said teasingly.

"Hey! I didn't drag you out here, you came willingly." Don said pretending to be offended, though he was grinning as he said it.

"Oh, really?" Eve continued to jest as she walked back towards Don. "I just figured being cornered, and having a sitter at the ready meant that I had no choice in the matter."

"True, but you still came willingly."

"Mmm…that I did." She said quietly as Don wrapped his arms around her and then kissed her.

"I've missed you."

"Me too." Eve said as she rested her head on his shoulder. After a moment, she pulled back. "Come on, let's go gaze at the stars some more." She turned her head to look back in the direction of where she had been standing earlier. "I really want to-" she cut herself off as she noticed a glow of lights on the horizon, just above the tree line. It took a moment, but Eve realized it was the glow of the city lights. Even here, in her special place in the most natural part of the city, she was being reminded that she wasn't really home. Don watched as her smile, and the light in her eyes suddenly faded. It appeared she was sinking back into depression.

"Eve?" Don asked in concern. She glanced at him, and then pulled away. Eve walked over to a nearby tree and sat down, leaning back against the tree and staring up at the starry sky. Don went and sat down next to her, watching her carefully. After a moment, she looked down at the ground in front of her feet. She was mulling something over.

"I've just ruined the evening, haven't I?" She asked quietly, stealing a glance at Don.

"No, you haven't ruined anything."

She looked back at the ground. 'Well, if he really wants to know what's wrong with me, I guess now is as good a time as any.' she thought to herself. "I…I know this is going to sound…crazy, but…well, you know I've always had a hard time living in the city. And while living like we do makes it easier on me, lately I…I just…feel like the city is…suffocating me." She paused a moment to steal another glance at Don, who looked confused. "I feel like it's causing me to loose a part of myself that is…vital…to my personality. Like I'm…I don't know, loosing my center or…something." She sighed, placing a hand to her forehead in slight frustration. "I…just…don't know what's wrong with me anymore."

Don thought about what Eve said for a minute. "So, this is what has been bothering you lately?" he asked hesitantly.

She nodded. "Coming here with you has always seemed to help me deal with living in the city somehow. And when we first got here tonight I started to feel like my old self again, but seeing the glow of the city lights in the distance just…crushed me all over again. Odd that I never noticed the glow of the city lights before with as often as we come here. I'm truly sorry about spoiling the moment, Don." she said softly.

"Hey," he said gently as he put an arm around her shoulders, "I told you, you haven't spoiled anything. And we'll find a way to get you centered again."

"I hope it's soon. I can't take much more of feeling like this." she said as she leaned against Don, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I know, honey. I know." They sat there like that for a few hours, saying nothing as they just peered up into the night sky. Finally, Don said, "It's getting really late, we should go soon. Are you about ready to head home?"

Eve sighed, "Well, I guess I'm as ready to go back as I can be at the moment."

"We could finish our usual walk around the park first, if you'd like."

"Are you sure? Won't Mikey worry?"

"Yes, I'm sure. As for Mikey, I told him that we'd probably be out here a lot later than usual, and that I'd call if there were any trouble. So, what do you say, should we finish our walk, or head straight home?"

Eve thought about it briefly. "I think we should finish our walk."

"Okay, you ready?"

Eve nodded. They got up, and with Don's arm around Eve's waist they started their way through the park.

…..

It was almost 3 am when Don and Eve finally made their way back to the lair. Mikey was camped out on the couch watching TV.

"So, you two have a good time?" Mikey asked as Don and Eve walked in the door. "You were out pretty late compared to usual."

"Uh…yeah, we had a nice time, Mikey." Don said as he started to take off his street clothes.

"How were the twins?" Eve asked as she hung up her coat.

"Heh, those two little squirts were great, no problems."

"Good." Eve said, attempting a small smile. "Well, it's late and I'm beat. So, if you two will excuse me, I'm going to check on the twins and go to bed."

"I'll be along in a few minutes." Don called after her as she headed out of the room.

"So," Mikey said turning to Don once more now that Eve had left the room, "how did it _really_ go tonight?"

…..

Eve quietly opened the door to each of the twins' rooms and checked on them. Both were sound asleep. As Eve made her way to her room, she started to feel dizzy. By the time she reached her bedroom door, it looked like everything was spinning. She firmly grasped the door jam as she closed her eyes and put a hand to her head. After a minute or so, the feeling of dizziness passed. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. No spinning. Everything looked fine. 'Well, that was odd.' she thought to herself. She was still standing there holding on to the doorway, when Don came up behind her.

"I thought you'd be in bed already. You okay?" Don asked quietly as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Uh…yeah, I think so." Eve replied still looking around.

"You _think_ so? Did something happen?"

"I think it was just a short dizzy spell." Eve said shaking her head slowly.

"Hmm…well, it's been a long day; you probably just need some sleep. Speaking of which, we'd better get to bed…we've only got a few hours before the twins will be up."

Eve sighed, "Yeah, it's hard enough as it is to keep up with those two without throwing a lack of sleep into the mix."

Don chuckled. "That's for sure."

…..

Yoshi and Tori were up about the same time as usual. When they realized their parents were still asleep, they decided to give them a wake up call. They quietly entered their parents' room and climbed up on the bed. Then they started jumping, and giggling. It only took a few jumps on the bed by the twins to jostle Don from his sleep.

"Okay, alright, that's enough jumping on the bed you two." Don said as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Suddenly he felt the bed bouncing again. When he looked up, Yoshi was jumping on the bed.

"Yoshi, I said that's enough…we're up, so please stop jumping on the bed and sit down." Don said firmly.

"But Momma still sleepin'." Yoshi said pointing to his mother as he stopped jumping and sat down on the bed. Don looked over at Eve. Yoshi was right, she was still fast asleep. Don knew she wasn't a light sleeper, but surely the twins jumping on the bed should have roused her from sleep as it had him. He reached over and gently shook her shoulder.

"Eve? Eve, wake up. We have company." Don said trying to wake her.

"Hmm?" Eve moaned as she was pulled from her sleep. "Don? What's going on?" she asked as she ran a hand through her hair.

"The twins decided to give us a jump on the bed wake up call."

"Oh?" she asked as she looked up. There sat the twins at the end of the bed.

"Morning Momma." Yoshi yammered happily.

"Hi, Mommy." said Tori

"Morning sweethearts." Eve responded tiredly as she sat up and rubbed her face.

"You okay?" Don asked.

"Yeah…just tired is all." Eve replied, running her hand through her hair once more.

"We hungry." Yoshi piped up.

"Okay," Don said, "you two go play in the main room for a few minutes, while we get breakfast ready." The twins smiled, hopped down off the bed, and scurried out of the room. Don looked back at Eve. She looked exhausted.

"Maybe I should make the twins their breakfast, and get them ready for their ninjitsu lesson on my own so you can sleep a bit longer."

"Nonsense, I'm already up. Just give me a few minutes to wake myself up a bit more, and get changed. Then I'll be out to help you with breakfast." Eve said as she started to climb out of bed.

"You're sure?"

"Yes," Eve said as she stretched a bit, "now go on, I'll be out shortly."

"Okay. See you in a few minutes" Don said as he headed out the door.

Eve started to make her way to her dresser. Suddenly the room started to waver slightly. She stopped in her tracks, and quickly shook her head for a moment, hoping to get rid of strange vision problem. "Oh, we so do not need this today." she muttered to herself as she rubbed her forehead with her hand, and finished making her way to her dresser to get ready for the day.

…..

It took Eve a lot longer than a few minutes to get ready. The longer Eve was in the bedroom, the worse she started to feel. She had several brief dizzy spells as she got herself ready, and she was starting to feel sick. By the time she got to the breakfast table, Don and the twins were already eating.

"Hey," Don called to her as she entered the room, "I was starting to think you had decided to go back to bed after all." Don saw that she was rubbing her forehead again. "Honey, are you sure you're alright? You don't look so well."

"Actually, you'd be right. I'm not well; in fact, I think I'm coming down with something."

"Here, you sit down, and I'll get you some medicine or something." Don said as he started to get up.

"No. No. You sit and eat your breakfast." Eve said as she held up her hand signaling him to stay put. "I may not feel well, but I'm certainly not bed ridden. I'll go and get something myself." Don watched from his seat as she headed into the kitchen. She got some medicine out of the one cabinet, and then filled a glass with water. She put a pill in her mouth, and took a drink of water. She decided to take the glass of water and try to join her family at the table. As she started to head for the breakfast table, another dizzy spell started. This time it was really bad, the worst dizzy spell she'd had yet. The room was spinning so much that she started to sway. She tried to grab a hold of the counter, but she lost her balance and failed to catch herself.

Don's head jerked up at the sounds of breaking glass and some sort of crash in the kitchen. "Everything okay in there, honey?" Don called to Eve. He got no response. "Eve?" he tried again, but still no reply. Something was wrong, and Don didn't like it. He looked at the twins, who were both looking in the direction of the kitchen. "You two stay here," Don instructed them "I'll be right back." He walked over to the kitchen doorway. His eyes widened, and panic struck him from the sight he saw. He called out in alarm, "Eve!"


	3. Change of Scenery

Eve was lying motionless on the floor. Don rushed to her side, careful not to step on any broken glass. She was out cold, but luckily it appeared she didn't have any glass embedded in her skin. Don knew he should get the glass cleaned up so he—or more importantly the twins—would not step on it and get hurt, but he had to try to get Eve to come to. "Come on Eve," he said as he knelt over her and patted the side of her face, "please, wake up." After a few moments, which felt like an eternity to Don, he saw her eyes start to flutter. "Eve?" he said hoping to draw her further into consciousness.

She grimaced and softly moaned in pain before attempting to open her eyes. "Don?" she asked quietly as she slowly managed to get her eyes about half way open, slightly squinting.

"Yeah, it's me." He responded while caressing her cheek.

She tried to get her eyes to focus in order to see Don's face, but all she could see were swirling colors. She quickly shut her eyes tight, willing the dizziness and throbbing in her head to subside.

"Make it stop...please…make it stop." She mumbled.

"What? Make what stop, Eve?" Don asked as he noticed the color in Eve's face was starting to pale considerably.

"Dizzy." she forced out. "So, dizzy." She hissed in pain as she held her hand to the side of her forehead.

Don gently pulled her hand back, and looked at it. His eyes widened 'Blood.' He reached up and very carefully brushed her bangs back. Again she let out a small hiss of pain. "Oh, Eve." he lamented almost inaudibly. There on the right side of her temple was a nasty cut, and the bruised skin surrounding it had already darkened into a purplish color. She was certainly going to have a big bump on her head for a while. "Daddy?" A little voice pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up and there were the twins standing in the doorway with worry in their faces. Yoshi started to move forward, but Don was quick to stop him. "Stay right there you two." he said firmly, "Don't come in here." 'How long had they been standing there?' he thought.

"What's wrong with Mommy?" Tori asked with concern.

"Mommy is sick, and Daddy needs you two to stay back at the door so you don't get hurt on the broken glass." Don tried to explain gently, but firmly. 'Great. Now how do I get Eve fixed up, clean up the water and broken glass; and manage to keep an eye on the twins simultaneously in the process?' Don thought to himself. It was then that Don heard a voice drift in from another room. "Hello? Donnie? Eve? Anybody?" Don took a moment to recognize the voice. 'Leo.' He mentally sighed in relief. 'Talk about perfect timing.' "In here, Leo!" he called out to his brother.

Leo's footsteps could be heard coming through the next room. "You're all awfully quiet this morning. Some—Donnie, what happened?" Leo asked, eyes wide as he took in the scene before him.

"Momma's sick." Yoshi chimed in.

"Broken glass." Tori added.

Leo looked down at his niece and nephew, who were just in front of him, then back to his brother. "I don't have time to explain right now, Leo," Don started, "but could you?" he made a small motion in reference to Yoshi and Tori.

"Uh…yeah, sure." Leo said, taking the hint. "Yoshi, Tori, come with me. It's time for your ninjitsu lesson."

Yoshi started to object, "But Momma-"

"Will be just fine." Don interjected firmly. "Now go with Uncle Leo, and be good."

Something resembling a pout appeared on Yoshi's face, "Yes, Daddy." Leo then led to two little ones out of the room, and toward the dojo.

'Now to get back to the task at hand.' Don thought as he got up to get a cloth to stop the bleeding. He pressed it against Eve's wound, and she gasped. "Eve? I need you to hold this cloth on your forehead while I clean up the water and broken glass that's on the floor." He brought her hand up to the cloth as he spoke. "Can you do that for me?" he asked, making sure she understood.

There was some silence before she replied. "Yes." she muttered.

"Good. Now just try to relax." Don cleaned up the shards of glass and the water, then, returned back to Eve's side. He pulled back her hand and the cloth to see if the bleeding had stopped. 'Still some slight bleeding. Probably going to need a couple of stitches.' he thought as he looked at the injury. "Now, Eve…I'm going to maneuver you into a sitting up position. Okay?"

"Okay." Came the quiet reply.

Don carefully put his arm under her, and lifted her up. She groaned at the motion, and Don saw that she was getting paler. She was obviously in no condition to walk as she couldn't even manage to sit up without leaning heavily against him, not to mention that she still had her eyes tightly shut, so he would have to carry her. He scooped her up in his arms and made his way to their bedroom. He laid her down on the bed before retrieving the first aid kit. By the time Don had returned, Eve was unconscious again. He treated and bandaged the wound, then, pulled a chair up next to the head of the bed. He grabbed a book off the night stand, sat down, and began to read.

About an hour or so had past when Don heard a soft knock on the door. Leo was standing in the open doorway. Don got up and walked over to him. "Hey, Donnie…how is she?"

"She's out cold. A nasty cut and bruising on the one side of her forehead, but other than that she seems to be okay."

"What happened?"

Don shook his head slightly, "I'm not exactly sure. She looked exhausted when we got up this morning. When she finally came out for breakfast, she said she wasn't feeling well, and went into the kitchen for some medicine. Next thing I knew there was the sound of glass breaking, and some sort of crashing sound. I found her lying on the floor, and well…you basically know the story from there."

"Any idea what the cause of her illness might be?"

Again Don shook his head as he looked in Eve's direction, "No. She did mention something about feeling dizzy, but it could just as easily be linked to her recent depression. Either way there's not much I can do until she comes to again."

Leo gave him a quizzical look, "Depression? What are you talking about?"

"Eve's been feeling kind of homesick you might say…you know, for her old home. I hadn't picked up on it until a couple of days ago, although there were signs of it weeks ago."

"Odd…she seemed fine to me the last several times I saw her."

"That's because she's been doing everything she can to keep up appearances to everyone." Don sighed, "Even to me. I just didn't see past it until I saw her with the twins the other day." Suddenly realization hit Don. "Leo, where are Yoshi and Tori?"

"They're playing with the other kids in the main section of the lair. Master Splinter's keeping an eye on them. I just wanted to check and make sure everything was okay before I brought Yoshi and Tori back. I figured the last thing you needed were two worried kids underfoot, if things weren't quite under control here with Eve."

"Thanks, I appreciate that." Don started to walk back to Eve's bedside to check on her, and Leo followed.

"Kind of pale, isn't she?" Leo commented looking over Don's shoulder.

"Yes, she—" Don stopped short as he touched Eve's cheek, and then put his hand against her forehead.

"Donnie? What is it?"

Don looked back at Leo, "Fever. She's burning up."

"I'll go get some cold water." Leo said as he turned and made his way out of the room. Shortly thereafter he returned with a bowl of water and a cloth, and handed it to Don.

"Thanks, Leo." Don said as he dipped the cloth in the water, and then applied it to Eve's forehead. It took nearly an hour before Don was able to finally bring her fever down, and Leo had stayed in case Don would have needed him to get anything. Before they knew it, it was lunch time.

Leo squeezed Don's shoulder. "Come on, we should go get something to eat."

"Leo, I can't just leave her alone."

"She should be fine for a few minutes, but if it makes you feel better I'll stay here with her until you get back."

"No, it's okay, Leo. I'm not hungry anyway."

"Donatello, I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. You said yourself that there's no telling when she'll regain consciousness, and knowing you you'll stay at her bedside without food or sleep until she does—which could take days. Besides, in case you forgot, you also have two kids that need you."

Don sighed, "Okay, you're right. I'll go." Don checked on Eve one more time before heading for the doorway with Leo. Don hesitated at the door and looked back, "But only for a few minutes."

…..

By the end of that day, Eve still hadn't regained consciousness. Over the next few days, Don was hard pressed to leave Eve's side for any length of time, as she continued to become feverish off and on nearly every day. Everyone helped out as much as they could, especially where the twins were concerned. Whenever anyone did manage to pry Don away from Eve's side, he would either run some tests to try and determine the cause of her sickness; or spend some time with his kids. As a precaution—since they had no idea if Eve was contagious or not, Yoshi and Tori were kept away from their mother, and they were not taking it well.

It was the middle of the night. Don had fallen asleep with his one arm hanging down over the side of the bed. Suddenly he felt a small tug on his arm "Daddy?" Don blinked a few times before looking down to see Yoshi with tears streaming down his face, and a teddy bear in his arms.

"Hey, buddy, what's wrong?" Don asked as he picked him up and pulled him close.

Yoshi sniffled, and stretched one small arm out towards his mother's unconscious form on the other side of the bed. "Want Momma." he sobbed

Don's heart sank. Eve had been unconscious for a week now, and in that time he had repeatedly denied the twins' requests to see their mother, explaining to them that she was very sick. The disappointment that shown on their faces each time he explained the situation to them was enough to tell him that the twins were upset about it. Don sighed, "I'm sorry, buddy, but you know you can't be near Mommy until she's better." 'Or at the very least, conscious.' he thought.

Yoshi looked up at his father with big, tearful, begging baby-blue eyes as he continued to reach his arm out toward his mother. Don looked over at Eve. Then, while keeping one arm securely around his son to keep him from jumping out of his arms, he reached over with the other to touch Eve's forehead. 'No fever. Perhaps it would be alright to let him curl up next to her for a while. At the very least it might calm him down.' He looked back at his son, and gently wiped away his tears. "Shh…alright, buddy. I'll let you sleep here next to Mommy, but just for tonight. Okay?" Yoshi nodded. Don put Yoshi down on the bed, and watched as he crawled over to Eve. He laid his head on the side of her stomach, with one little arm laying next to his face. Don covered his son with a blanket, and Yoshi snuggled closer to his mother. Don then gently rubbed his son's shell until he was sure his little one had fallen asleep. For a while, Don watched his son sleep, as he sat there in deep thought. 'I have to do something to fix this. I know that. The only problem is I've tried everything, and so far nothing has worked.' Suddenly a thought struck him. 'Everything…except...hmm, maybe that's the answer.'

Morning came, Don had quickly gotten the twins up and ready for their ninjitsu lesson, while regularly checking in on Eve. When Leo came to collect the little ones for their lesson, Don requested that he and his other brothers meet with him in his lab after the children were done with their training. Somewhat surprised by the request, Leo agreed that he would get Mikey and Raph; and they would meet him at the appointed place and time. When the three brothers arrived at the lab, they discovered that their other brother seemed to be packing up some equipment.

"Uh, Donnie…what are you doing?" Leo asked confused.

"Oh, hey guys. Just packing up some equipment I'll need." Don replied as he finished packing up one gadget and joined the rest of the group.

"Why? Ya plan on goin' somewhere, brainiac?" Raph inquired as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Don shifted somewhat anxiously, dreading the oncoming conversation, but he had to let the rest of his family know what he was up to. "Yes, I'm taking Eve and the twins up to the farmhouse for a while. I plan on leaving tonight."

"What?" Mikey asked surprised.

"You can't be serious!" Raph interjected.

"Donnie, what are you thinking? You can't possibly keep constant watch over Eve and take care of your kids and everything else up there at the same time all by yourself. You haven't even been able to handle all of that here without our help. And what about the kids' training? They'll fall behind the rest—"

"I'm thinking it could be the key to bringing Eve back to a conscious state of mind, Leo."

Leo looked at him doubtfully, "Donnie, that's—"

"The only thing I haven't tried." Don cut in. "Come on guys, you know I've tried everything, and none of it has made any difference in her condition—even the blood tests I've done haven't given me any sort of insight as to the cause of her illness. I figure that maybe if I get her into a different environment there might be a chance that her subconscious will pick up on it, and she'll finally wake up again. And I'll take care of everything, including Yoshi and Tori's training while we're gone."

Leo shook his head slowly, "That's a big _maybe_, Donnie."

"Yeah, bro, I mean no offense or nothin', but you're not exactly a super hero, and even super heroes have their limits, you know. Oww!" Mikey exclaimed as Raph smacked him upside the head.

"I think what our crazy brother is tryin' ta say is that you're gettin' yourself in way over your shell, bro."

"Guys, I've thought it all through, and I've figured out a way I can make it work."

"Oh, really," Raph said with a touch of sarcasm in his voice, "and how is that?"

"I've got a special monitor to hook up to Eve that will let me know of any change in her body temperature, brain wave activity, or movement via my tech tab. Of course, I'll still check in on her at regular intervals and what-not, but when I'm with the twins I'll keep an eye on her with the monitor."

"I don't know, Donnie," Leo said with uncertainty as he crossed his arms, "I still think this is a bad idea, but if you insist on going to the farm house I think you should at least take someone else with you."

"No, it wouldn't be right to take any of you guys away from your own families. You all have little ones—most of which are younger than mine, and then you also have the training lessons to take care of, Leo. Besides, I plan on staying up there for a while after Eve wakes up. I want to make sure she is fully recuperated before we come back home."

"How long of a while, Donnie?" Mikey asked.

"A few months most likely." Don replied. "I've already talked things over with Master Splinter. If I find myself feeling like I'm in over my head, I'll call. I'll also keep you guys posted with what's going on via shell cell."

His brothers looked at each other for a moment. Then, knowing this was a loosing battle, Leo spoke, "Alright, Donnie. You win. Just let us know how we can help." Don smiled softly.

It took most of the afternoon, but Don and his brothers eventually got all the equipment and other items that Don deemed necessary to take along to the farm house packed up and loaded onto the helicopter. Don thought it would be best to take the copter since it would be the fastest way of getting there, and it would leave the battle shell accessible to his brothers should they need it. Once dinner was over, Don took his little ones aside to tell them about the trip. Both seemed excited about the idea. All that was left to do was collect Eve, and they could go. Don left the twins with the rest of the family members while he went to get her. He carried her up into the helicopter and gently laid her on the makeshift bed. By this time, the rest of the family had made their way into the hanger to say their goodbyes. A few minutes later, Don strapped Yoshi and Tori into their seats, and they were off.

…..

After arriving at the farm house, not much changed. Eve's condition was still the same, and Don spent a lot of time trying to keep the twins occupied. Presently, he was sitting on the couch with the twins trying to read a book to them. It didn't take long to notice that neither of the twins were really interested in the book Yoshi in particularly was staring off in the direction of the stairs.

"Yoshi, would you like a different book?" Don asked trying to draw his attention. Without looking at his daddy, he just shook his head. "What's bothering you, buddy?" Don inquired, though he already knew.

"When's Momma gonna get better, Daddy?" Yoshi asked finally turning his head to look at his father.

"Soon, buddy. She'll be better real soon." Don replied with small smile trying to ease his young one's concern.

"Tomorrow?" Yoshi asked hopefully.

Don's smile faded. He doubted Eve would be better by tomorrow, but he didn't want to dampen his young son's hopes. "Maybe. We'll just have to wait and see."

"I hope Mommy's better tomorrow. I miss her" Tori piped in.

Don pulled his daughter a little closer to his side. and gave her a small hug. "I do too, sweetie." He paused to check the time. "Well come on you two. It's time for bed." The twins complied, and allowed their father to lead them upstairs. Once the twins were asleep, Don returned to the room Eve occupied. He removed the few wires that connected her to the monitor he used to help keep track of her vital signs during the day. Fortunately, she hadn't had any fever for a day or so, but beyond that there were no other signs of improvement. He sat in a chair near the side of the bed for a while, with the events of the last several days drifting through his thoughts. 'Maybe the guys were right. Maybe it would have been better to stay put rather than come up here. It's been two weeks today since Eve fell, and she's still unconscious. My attempts to preoccupy the twins' minds with various activities have proven to be rather unsuccessful for the last two days or so. Hmm…guess all we can do anymore is just wait it out, and hope that something changes very soon.' Don climbed into bed, slowly drifting off into a deep sleep. Maybe they'd be lucky and Eve would be better tomorrow. Just maybe the change of scenery would finally do some good.

…..

'What a strange dream. It seemed so real. Ugh, I really should get up, there's so much to do, and the twins are bound to be up at any minute. Hmm…odd…my limbs feel kinda stiff. Did I do something strenuous yesterday? For that matter, what _did_ I do yesterday? Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter now. Wait a minute…something's not right. That scent…it smells like…hardwood? That can't be right. And that warm light I feel shining on me, is it possible it could be sunlight? No, that's crazy. Then again…eh, there's only one way to make sure. Now if I could just get my eyes open Hmm, feels like they're caked with gunk…come on now, open up. Ah, there we go. Okay, now if we can just get rid of the blurriness I-…I don't believe it. This isn't my room. It looks like…like…the farm house?'


	4. Waking Up

Eve slowly managed to prop herself up on her elbows to get a better look at her surroundings. 'Yep. Definitely the farm house. But why am I at the farmhouse, and why don't I remember coming here?' Suddenly she became aware of some light snoring off to her side. Don was laying on his stomach, in a deep sleep. A hint of a smile crossed her lips. 'Of course, Don. He knows how much I like it up here away from the city.' She frowned as the unnerving thought hit her once more. 'But that still doesn't explain why I can't remember the trip.' Eve eased the covers back and carefully swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She startled at the sight of the medical equipment on the stand next to the bed. As she followed the line of the IV bag with her eyes, she realized the end of it was inserted to the back of her hand. A sudden wave of nausea hit her and she shut her eyes as her free hand clasped over her mouth. She was never good with needles, and this one had to come out pronto. After a few minutes of gathering up her nerve, she once more directed her attention to the IV needle. Biting her lip, she carefully pulled it out, nearly flinging it as far away from her as she could once it was removed. She rubbed the back of her hand where the needle had been inserted. 'Hmm…should probably put a band-aid on that just in case.'

Eve tentatively got to her feet. Her legs were a bit wobbly, but she managed to make it to the bathroom without them buckling on her. Only after retrieving a band-aid from the medicine cabinet did she notice her appearance in the mirror. She frowned, 'Geez…talk about a train wreck. What's with the white patch on my forehead?' She swept her bangs to the side and lightly pressed down on the bandage with her fingers. 'Ah! Okay, not good. Man that's tender. Hmm, when was the last time I brushed my hair? For that matter, when was the last time I changed my clothes?' she thought as she looked down at the baggy T-shit and sweat pants she was wearing. 'Not my usual sleepwear.' Eve shrugged to herself as she started to run her fingers through her hair, 'Oh well, no use worrying about it…I'm sure Don will be plenty informative when he wakes up.'

After finishing up in the bathroom, she quietly treaded down the hall to the room where the twins were likely to be. Peeking in from the door, which had been left ajar, she had found her two little ones sound asleep. She smiled as she slowly turned around and softly headed for the stairs. Once at the bottom of the stairs, she made her way to one of the windows. 'Oh, it's going to be a beautiful day. I can't wait to get out there.' She glanced back at the stairs, half wishing she'd see her family coming down to join her, and half glad that she had a bit of this time to herself. Eve turned to look at the clock on the wall. 'After 7:00. Funny…they're usually up by now.' She looked out the window, then to the stairs, then back out the window. Every fiber in her being was crying to get outside and into the sunlight. Biting her lip, she looked back at the stairs. Considering everything she encountered since waking up that morning, Eve knew she really shouldn't venture outside before finding out what's going on, but she certainly wasn't going to go wake Don up just to find out. Besides, something told her that if she did go wake him that he wouldn't let her go out anyway. And she so desperately wanted to. Turning back to the window, it only took an instant for the pull of the outdoors to win out. Eve grabbed the blanket that they used for picnics, and quietly headed outside. Deciding it was best to stay close to the house, Eve only went around to the side of the house. She spread the blanket out on the ground, then looked around, taking in all the sights, sounds, and scents of her surroundings. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Grinning she thought to herself, 'It doesn't get much better than this.'

…..

Little Yoshi awoke to sounds of birds chirping. He crawled out of bed and scampered the short distance to the bed his sister was sleeping in. Yoshi climbed up beside her and nudged her shoulder.

"Tori, up. Sun shinin'."

Tori fussed a bit as she sleepily tried to swat her brother's hand away. "Go 'way." She grumbled. Yoshi hesitated a moment, then slid down off the bed and headed for the door. Realizing her brother was leaving the room, she called after him, "Where you goin'?"

He turned toward her as he reached the door "I goin' to see Momma."

"Wait for me!" Tori shouted as she hopped off the bed and ran after her brother who had already made his way out into the hallway. She caught up with him as he was about to push open the door to their parents' room. "Yoshi, no!" she whispered in warning. "Daddy say we no sposed ta go in there." He glared at her. She wrapped her arms around her stuffed toy bunny as she looked around the hallway. "We go in there, and Daddy be mad. We be in trouble."

He looked to the floor and sighed sadly. "Kay, we not go."

They went downstairs, and their daddy was no where in sight. So Yoshi sat down on the floor in front of the couch and just hugged his teddy bear. Tori climbed up on the couch so she could look outside. There were some squirrels bouncing about the yard. She watched as they made their way to the side of the farm house, and that's when her eyes caught sight of other motion.

"Mommy's outside!"

That got Yoshi's attention, and he hurriedly climbed on the couch and joined his sister at the window. "Lemme see." He looked out the window. "I don't see Momma nowhere."

"Over there." Tori pointed to the side.

Sure enough, there she was. Yoshi bounded off the couch and dashed for the door, with Tori close on his heels. Out the door, and down the steps they scampered. As Yoshi made to round the corner to the side of the house he shouted, "Momma!"

…..

Eve had decided to do some stretching—more specifically, yoga, but realizing that she didn't have quite the usual stamina, she stuck with positions that keep most of her body in contact with the ground. She thought she heard a bit of movement in the house, and the sound of her son's voice calling out to her a short time later confirmed her suspicions. Eve smiled as she turned around and held out her arms to the two lively youngsters. It was fortunate that she was seated on the ground because Yoshi threw himself into her arms with such force that she nearly toppled backwards. She laughed at the unusual excitement her twins were displaying as she hugged them tightly. "Well, good morning. And just what are you two so in such a hurry about?"

"You better."

Eve continued to smile as she nodded in confirmation to her daughter's statement. "Yes, I am better."

"You was sick for a long time." Yoshi added.

"I was?" The twins nodded in response.

"Daddy not let us see you very much." Tori said.

"Aww, I'm sorry sweethearts. Mommy didn't mean to be so sick, and Mommy feels much better now." Eve said sympathetically.

Yoshi had begun looking around. He seemed a bit puzzled. "Momma, why you outside?"

Eve chuckled, "Because it's a beautiful morning and I couldn't wait to be in the sunshine."

"Why?"

Eve couldn't help but half smile. Little Yoshi was quite the inquirer. "Because I love being in the sunshine. Now come on you two, let's have some fun."

…..

Don started to drift into consciousness as the morning sunlight decided to shine brightly on his face. He rolled onto his back and rubbed his face in irritation. He was not ready for another day, nor would he be until he got some coffee in him. He sat up and looked at the clock. Finding it was after 8:00, he was surprised to note that the twins had not come in to wake him up. Of course, he had stressed to them the importance of them staying out of the room until their mother was conscious again. Don yawned and stretched, leaning his head back against the headboard as he absentmindedly reached out his hand to check Eve's temperature. Thinking he merely misjudged the distance when his hand landed on a pillow, he looked over to find that she was gone. That jolted him wide awake as panic instantly set in. He scrambled out of bed and paused in the doorway as he looked around the hallway

'Bathroom.' He thought. But as Don approached the bathroom, he noticed that the door was open. Don quickly reached in and turned on the light switch, half expecting to find her unconscious on the floor. He breathed a sigh of relief as he discovered that it was empty, but the thought that she could be lying unconscious elsewhere lingered in the back of his mind. His eyes settled on the twins' room. Again he found an empty room, as he opened the door to the twins' room. 'Where else? Where else?' His eyes settled on the stairs. 'Yes, surely she'll be downstairs.' But as he reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around the room, he found it too was empty. He found the same lack of life in the kitchen as well. Upon reentering the living room, Don noticed each of the twins' favorite stuffed animals on the couch. About that time, he heard the faint sounds of his children squealing with delight and the sound of Eve laughing. It sounded as though they were outside. Don's eyes widened 'Outside?' Don spun on his heel and raced out the door. 'Surely she wouldn't have ventured outside this soon.' He looked around as he reached the bottom of the porch steps, but his family was no where in sight. Then he heard the sound of voices drifting from around the side of the house. Don was just about to round the corner when his daughter ran into his leg. She had tumbled backwards onto the ground from the impact, and Don knelt down.

"Baby, are you ok?" She nodded. "What are you doing out here?"

She smiled brightly, "Playin'."

"Tori, you know you shouldn't be out here by yourself."

"I not by myself, Daddy. Yoshi and Mommy are over there." Tori said as she turned and pointed in the direction she had come from.

Don picked her up, and walked around the side of the house. Sure enough there they were.

…..

Eve was having a blast playing with her little ones. Somehow their little game ended up in a tickling session. She would trade off tickling each of the twins as one would come and try to help the other get free. Tori had just escaped her grasp, and ran to the front of the house as she latched onto Yoshi and tickled him mercilessly, which caused him to squirm and squeal. Eve laughed as he finally managed to wriggle his way out of her reach and continued to giggle. She looked up as the sight of someone's shadow appeared on the blanket. Don stood with a squirming Tori in his arms. He let her down and she came dashing back to her.

"Hey, you're up." Eve said to him as she wrapped her daughter in her arms. "Sleep well?" Don just stood there almost mesmerized with an odd look on his face. Her beaming face fell to one of concern. "What's the matter?" Don sat himself down in front of her. He cupped her face in his hands and continued to study her eyes for a moment. Then suddenly he moved a hand to her forehead, and then continued to check her vital signs. She pulled back from his reach slightly, "Don, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" He echoed in disbelief. "What are you doing? Why are you out here?"

"Mama's all better, Daddy." Yoshi interjected as he crawled next to his sister on his mother's lap and Eve wrapped one of her arms around him. "See?"

Don sighed as he shook his head and rubbed a hand down his face. "Eve, what's the last thing you remember before waking up this morning?"

Eve looked at him confused for a moment then dropped her gaze as she tried to remember. "Well, I remember us walking in the park. You waking me the next morning…um…being late for breakfast, going into the kitchen and," she flinched slightly as she remember smacking her head off the edge of the counter when she fell. Eve reached up and gingerly touched the bandage on her temple. She looked at Don. "I hit it pretty hard when I fell?" He nodded. "So, what, I was out for a few hours, a few days? I don't remember the ride up here and-"

"Eve. You were out for two weeks."

"Two weeks?" She asked, shocked. "Th-that can't be I-" she cut herself off as the words of her children drifted around in her head. _You was sick a long time_. _Daddy not let us see you very much. _'Could it really have been two weeks?' she thought. She looked down at the faces of the little ones she was holding.

"Come on…let's get you back inside."

"But, Don-" He gave her a look that said he absolutely was not going to budge on the issue. "Alright. Up, up you two…it's time to back in the house." The twins crawled off her lap and Don helped her up.

As they made their way around the house, Yoshi slipped his hand into his mother's and asked, "We gonna come back outside later?"

Eve glanced at Don, and from the look on his face it was doubtful he would allow her outside anytime soon. Nevertheless, she looked down at her son with a small smile. "We'll see."

Breakfast went almost as usual, though Eve had to settle for the broth that Don gave her since he wasn't sure what her stomach could handle after two weeks of not eating. However, the rest of the morning was rough. Eve was feeling a bit claustrophobic with Don constantly hovering over her, barely letting her do anything. That made it particularly difficult to much more with the twins than read or play a simple board game. The twins were also sticking to her like glue, rarely leaving her side. The few attempts Don had made to get them to go play by themselves for a while did not go well. Yoshi particularly seemed set on staying close to his mother at all times. Don was glad when the twins went down for their nap because then he was finally able to get Eve alone so he could look her over and run a few tests while they talked.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine. A bit tired and sort of…confined…but otherwise just dandy."

Don studied her face looking for any sign that she might with holding back something. He held her gaze. "You sure? No dizziness or anything else I should know about?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don…don't you think you'd have noticed if I was having a dizzy spell or something? I'm telling you I feel just fine." As if to pointedly show that she wasn't _just fine_, Don chose then to check the bandage on her forehead, which was still very tender.

"You were unconscious for two weeks. That's nothing to take lightly. So, for now," he said as he put his hands on her shoulders to emphasis how important it was that she listen, "you are to take it easy. You're not to do anything even remotely strenuous."

Eve make a slight clicking sound with her tongue, "Darn…and here I was planning to go mountain climbing all afternoon." She said sarcastically.

Don scowled. "That's _not_ funny."

"Oh, come on, Don. You can't keep me cooped up in the house all the time. We don't get up here very often, and I'd like to spend as much time outside as I can before we go back."

"And you'll get to as soon as I'm sure you're well enough." Eve opened her mouth to speak again, but Don covered it with one of his hands before she could start. "Please, don't fight me on this. You have no idea what it's been like the past couple of weeks. I would rather not have to tie you down, but I will if I have to." He lifted her chin. "Just promise me you will take it easy for now."

"Don, I can't-"

"Promise me."

She sighed. "I'll…do my best. It's not going to be easy though."

He pulled her into his arms. "I know. But it's for your own good. We need to figure out what's going on and why this happened." He hugged her tighter. "I don't want to have a repeat of the last few weeks anytime soon."


	5. Nightmares of Old

Shortly after their little confab, Eve took up residence on the couch and positioned herself so that she could easily gaze out the window over the back of the couch. Don glanced at her every now and then as he continued to work on fixing one of the kitchen appliances. Not fifteen minutes had passed before Don noticed Eve was trying to fight the exhaustion she was feeling. He got up from his makeshift work area, went over to the couch and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You're tired. You should rest."

"Huh," she scoffed tiredly. "You would think after two weeks of nothing but sleep that I wouldn't be so tired so quickly." She scrubbed a hand up and down the side of her face as she tried to stay awake.

He sat on the couch, positioning himself so he was facing her. "Your body is recuperating. So, it's going to be a while before you are ready to go about doing the everyday things the way you normally would. But you'll never reach that point if you don't give yourself the proper rest your body needs."

She sighed, her eyes barely open. "I know…I know. You're right. It's just hard to give in to that knowledge and accept having to be looked after." Eve yawned and shook her head slightly, obviously loosing the battle to stay up.

Don cupped the side of her face in his hand, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth over her cheek. "Come on. Let's get you lying down before you find yourself on the floor."

"I don't suppose you'd care to join me?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "I guess I could do that."

…..

The next thing Don knew, he was being pulled back into consciousness by someone pulling on his elbow pad. He looked in the direction of the disturbance and couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the realization of who was responsible for his wakeup call. Yoshi was up, and no doubt determined to resume his earlier fixation of being within arm's length of his mother at all times. No doubt Tori would be following suit within a short time.

Don spoke softly, "Ready to play some more?" His son nodded eagerly. Don shifted his gaze to his other side. Eve's head was still resting on his chest, and her breathing was slow and deep. Automatically, his hand began stroking her hair the same way he had when she had fallen asleep. He turned back to his son, "Well, I think you are going to have to play by yourself for a while. Mommy is still resting, and we need to let her sleep." Yoshi gave him displeased look as he crossed his little arms in front of his chest. Don raised an eye ridge. "Now that's quite enough of that." Don ruffled his son's mask a bit. "Tell you what, you and I can go get lunch ready. How does that sound?"

Yoshi seemed to think about it for a bit. "Kay." He replied.

"Good." Don smiled. He glanced back at Eve, knowing the trick would be to not disturb her. He carefully shifted her, and managed to get off the couch without waking her. He led his son to the kitchen, and helped him get up on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. "Okay, buddy, what do you want for lunch?"

Yoshi looked around the room a bit, seeming to think about the question. "Umm…P-B-J."

"Pickle, banana, and jelly beans? Hmm…not the most usual choice."

"No, Daddy. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich!" Yoshi giggled.

"Oh," Don said with a smirk, "well, that makes much more sense." He got the necessary supplies and put them on the table. As he opened up the containers he looked at his son, "You remember how to make it?"

"Yeah, it's easy, Daddy!" Yoshi said dismissively as he reached for the bread, making Don chuckle.

…..

Tori came downstairs after her nap, and found her mom asleep on the couch. She climbed up and snuggled next to her. Feeling the small motion, Eve slowly opened her eyes and glanced around. Finding her daughter next to her, she smiled.

"Hi, sweetheart. You have a nice nap?" Tori nodded. "Ready for lunch?" Again Tori nodded. Eve sat up and looked around. "Is your brother still sleeping?"

"No." Tori shook her head.

Eve stood up and turned back to face the couch. "Alrighty then, lets go to the kitchen and see if lunch is ready." she said as she picked Tori up off the couch and headed for the kitchen. She entered the kitchen to find Don and Yoshi at the table working on lunch. "Hey, what's for lunch?"

Don looked up, and looked slightly stunned for a moment before his face fell into a look of disapproval. "Eve," he started as he got up from his chair, "What are you doing?"

She looked at him confused, "What do you mean? What have I done?" she asked as he came towards her.

"You promised me you would _not_ do anything even remotely strenuous, remember?"

She slowly nodded. "Yes, but I-"

"And that includes carrying the kids around." He stated firmly as he pulled Tori out of her arms.

'Seriously?!' she thought as she looked at him in disbelief as he took Tori to the other side of the table. 'Honestly, the kids are practically feather light! True, Yoshi weighs a bit more due to his shell, but that hardly justifies that decision.'

"Look, Mama, I helped Daddy make lunch!"

Eve looked at her son, and immediately the fight went out of her. Yoshi's hands and face were covered in peanut butter and jelly. She chuckled. "I can see that." She went and got a dishcloth and wet it under the faucet before she returned to the table. "I can also see that you are quite a sticky mess. What do you say we get you cleaned up?"

"I not that messy."

"Oh, yes, you are." Eve grinned as she held up one of her son's hands for him to see as she started to wipe it clean. Once Yoshi was cleaned up, she returned to the sink to rinse out the dishcloth. By the time she returned to her seat at the table, Don had their lunch ready as well. She peered into the steaming pot that sat between them. "Soup." She stated a bit dejectedly.

"In a day or two, we'll see if your stomach can handle solid food again. Until then, I'm afraid soup is your best option."

She nodded in accordance, despite her disappointment. 'Great.' She thought. 'Just another reason I loathe being in…recovery.'

…..

Eve couldn't remember the last time she had so looked forward to the twins' bedtime routine. Not that she didn't enjoy spending time with her little ones, but on days like today it was quite a relief to know some kid free time was close at hand. Tucked in and lullaby sung, the little ones quickly drifted off to sleep. Eve returned downstairs hoping to manage to stay up for a while longer.

Don looked up from his book. "I thought you might go on to bed after the twins fell asleep. Guess I should have known that wasn't going to happen."

"I'll get there soon enough. Just thought I'd come back down and enjoy a few minutes of peace." She sighed as she sat down in a chair near the fireplace. "It's been quite a day."

"Mmm."

She rested her chin on her hand as she leaned on the arm of the chair. "So, how long do think this recovery business is going to last." Don gave her a questioning glance. She shrugged. "I just know if I can stand too many days of just reading, board games, and puzzles."

"Hard to say really. A few weeks, maybe a month or two." He rubbed the back of his neck. "A lot of it depends on what—if anything—we can find out from the tests."

"And if the tests results don't show anything unusual?"

"We'll just have to take it one day at a time."

…..

Eve bolted upright in bed. Heart pounding and a bit disoriented, it took her a moment to realize that everything was alright. She was safe at the farmhouse. It was just a nightmare. She shivered as her heart rate began to slow back to its normal pace; she was soaked in a cold sweat. It had been years since that haunting presence invaded her dreams. And what was worse was that this time it involved the children. She froze. 'The children!' she thought. Eve jumped out of bed and grabbed her robe, throwing it on as she dashed down the hall to the twins' room. She quickly opened the door, expecting to find something wrong. Relief flooded Eve as her eyes confirmed that everything was as it should be. Her body released its tension as she leaned against the door frame. She took a deep breathe as she made her way to the beds that held her sleeping little ones. A smile at tugged her lips as she gazed over their sleeping forms. Noticing that Tori had kicked off most of her blankets, Eve adjusted them. Tori stirred slightly.

"Mommy, time to get up?" Tori asked sleepily.

"No, sweetheart." Eve leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Go back to sleep."

"Kay." She replied, barely awake.

Eve left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She leaned against the wall and ran a hand through her hair. 'No point in going back to bed.' She thought. 'After that adrenaline rush I'll never get back to sleep.' Eve silently made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. She heated some milk and mixed in some strawberry syrup. Making her way out to the front porch, she eased herself onto the porch swing, sipping her warm beverage as she gazed out into the clear, starry night sky.

…..

Don rolled over in his sleep, stretching out his arm to encase Eve. Not feeling the expected form beneath, he moved his hand around a bit. "Ugh," he groaned. "Not again." He pulled himself out of bed. "4 a.m." Don glared at the clock. "What could she possibly be doing up at this hour?" He padded down the hall. Finding no trace of her, he headed downstairs. He noted light shining from underneath the kitchen doorway, but found no trace of her there. The back door was locked. Deciding to check out on the front porch, he opened the front door as well as the screen door far enough that he could just see the full length of the porch. Seeing her perched on the swing he shook his head and turned back in the house just long enough to grab a blanket. It wasn't cold outside, but there was a slight chill. Don called her name a few times as he approached, but received no response. Noting that her gaze was far off in the distance, he touched her arm. She jerked up causing the mug in her hands to go flying. Thankfully, he managed to catch it before it smashed to the ground.

"Don, you scared me half to death!"

He frowned. Leveling a hard look at her, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Uhh…well, not really, no."

"It's four in the morning. What on earth are you doing out here when you should be asleep?" He spread the blanket out over her, and took a seat next to her.

"Nothing really. I…I just couldn't sleep." Her gaze met the floor.

Don noticed something uneasy in her expression. "Insomnia?"

She shrugged, but didn't take her eyes of the ground. "Something like that."

"Still bummed out about being under strict orders to take it easy?"

"No. Well, yes but…that's not what's bothering me."

"Then what is?"

She spared him a brief, painful glance before returning her eyes to the ground. Eve hesitated a moment longer. "A nightmare." She paused. "_He_ was there." She said in a near whisper.

"It has been a long time since you last had one of those nightmares."

She nodded. "Years."

Don remembered well how she had been plagued with nightmares—focused around the fragments of memories from her incarceration—for some time after he and his brothers had brought her to their lair. For a while, the more she was able to remember, the more intense the nightmares became. Eventually, over time they had lessened to the point where such dreams were a rare occurrence. Of late they had been nonexistent. Until tonight anyway.

"I know it's silly…your family having defeated Shredder ages ago and everything."

Don put his arm around her shoulders. "He put you through shell and back. It's no wonder why those dreams unnerve you so much."

"This one was different, though. It started out much like the others, but then…then he was tormenting our _children_." She shivered, more from the image than the cool night air. "It rattled me so much I ran to the twins' room thinking it some horrible omen."

He pulled her close, and wrapped her in his loving embrace. "Hey, don't you worry. Nothing like that is ever going to happen. Not if I can help it."


End file.
